CINEMA AS A MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION

by Gurujee Swetachandan

A picture is worth a thousand words. Then how many words cinema is worth which is a combination of millions of pictures! We all have seen cinema, perhaps experienced it much before our formal education. Most of us have grown with it. Now a question comes, what is cinema? Cinema is all about motion and emotions. It is purely about the magic of moving images. Cinema tells a story through pictures. It is an art that entertains us, informs us and elevates us. Many purists may not accept cinema as an art but analytically, it is better & more powerful than all branches of art. Nothing communicates better than this. Cinema connects our subconscious, reflects our values, customs, styles and life. It is an art that enlightens us and at the same time, educates us. This is the only art in the history of the world, in which scientists and artists worked together and brought revolution in the field of communication and entertainment. Films are instrument of communication. And all filmmakers are basically communicators of their ideas, thoughts, and visions. They want to tell stories through pictures -not words. They creatively convert their ideas, feelings into moving images so that the whole world can see what they see in their mind. Through these pictures, they communicate to the masses. So Film is mass communication. As we all know, communication is an act of exchanging information. It is a social process by which expression of human needs takes place and people influence each other. It is basically the science of sharing ideas, views, thoughts, and expressions through some medium. The basic tool of communication is language; but communication can also be performed through pictures, gestures and artifacts. Over the ages, visual medium, be it stone age painting, photograph or todays motion picture, has always been the most effective instrument of communication. Cinema is one of the strongest medium of communication. It can communicate from poor to rich, literate to illiterate, urban to rural, kids to adult. This visual medium has always been a powerful instrument to change opinion, lifestyle and thoughts. During the stone-age itself, man drew pictures to express his thoughts and ideas. Today the world of moving pictures plays a unique role in communication. The reach and appeal of cinema is growing day by day and people in urban and rural areas alike responding to the impact of the visual medium. The films express ideas, messages, and information to the people irrespective of their race, creed or color. Cinema is continuously expressing those truths, imaginations and ideas what languages labor to tell or write. The process of communication, in a nutshell, is who sa ys what in which channel to whom with what effect. If we take the SMCR model of Berlo, in cinema, the director or filmmaker is the SENDER, he gives a MESSAGE through his film which is his CHANNEL or medium through which he communicates to the RECEIVER or audience of the. A Film maker or director encodes a
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message into some pictures, words, dialogues and sends it to people through his film. Audience watches the film, decodes or interprets the coded message in their mind to get the film makers idea. So lets see what & how cinema communicates through this process. Though we watch films primarily for entertainment, it is another truth that the American students learn more from watching films than reading books. So apart from entertainment, cinema also creates awareness and tries to educate people. It disseminates message. Lets take the example of the recent release of 3 idiots which bears a strong message. It is a satire on todays faulty education system which puts too much of emphasis on bookish knowledge, neglecting the practical aspect and, thus, leaves no scope for creativity and students end up being parrots. Raj Kapoors Jagte Raho of 1960s shows corruption as a social parasite and how innocent people suffer for it. Charlie Chaplins Modern Times shows how the modern society is turning man into a machine. Man is being made an animated object rather than a social animal. Nirad Mohapatras Oriya movie Maya Miriga depicts the suffering & shattering of a middle class joint family. It shows how traditional joint family is turning into self-centric nuclear family. Roberto Benignis Life is Beautiful tells an optimistic story that even with all the pains and odds of life, life is still beautiful and we should heartily accept life as it is and celebrate each of its moment. V. Shantarams Do Ankhe Bara Hath explains that love has such an invincible power that can conquer all, even turns stone into water. Sometimes, film makers disseminate their ideas, messages, their vision or philosophy in an abstract way. Audience need to delve deeper in those films to decode the message. For example, Anurag Kashyaps movie No Smoking propagates two different messages at one time. At the basic level, it shows the ill effects of smoking but in its core it shows how man loses his freedom to choose his own actions. A films primary purpose is to tell an interesting story. The stories, which were once used to be heard and imagined, are now preserved on screen. When we think of the dinosaurs, we do not imagine, we think Jurassic Park. We cannot do what the characters do in a film. We identify ourselves with the characters and achieve the emotional catharsis at the end of the picture. A film communicates through stories, through characters and also, in technical aspect, through cinematography, lighting, music, sound, visual effects etc. Every country has its own customs, styles and values. It is films that reflect those customs or values. Film has no barrier, no languages, but just emotions. A universal theme always attracts people from all over the world irrespective of their race, religion and language. Film is universal, its appeal is universal. An Indian film can be seen, appreciated and influence people of other countries unlike writings which cannot be read and understood by people who speaks different language. Cinema has the insurmountable power of entertaining, educating, and enlightening the masses. It is the most powerful, strong, effective and popular form of communication that has been adored and admired throughout the world. Cinema has legitimate claims to be considered as the most enduring and life sustaining art form of the 20th century. #
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